She shrugs. “I’m just not used to wearing one, but I have the one I was wearing for when I could find work. It’s really old and falling apart. It never did fit me.”
I can’t resist touching her, so I close the last few inches between us and stroke her cheek. So fucking soft. “Eloise, you’re not going to dress to please me. You wear whatever makes you comfortable. I don’t give a fuck what it is.”
“Okay.” She lowers her arms but keeps her shoulders hunched a bit. I’m confused, but I don’t know how to please her.
“I don’t know your style preferences, Little one. When you feel like it, you can sit at the computer and pick out some things.”
She laughs. Not the silly, fun-loving giggle she’s let slip a few times. This laugh is incredulous. “Cannon. Style preferences? Ha. I’ve never picked out clothes in my life. And I haven’t touched a computer in four years.”
I wince inside. I want to kill people on her behalf, and I will as soon as I have names. I’m wondering how long that list might be, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll end every fucker who dared touch her, who dared wrong her.
“Well, using a computer is like riding a bike. You’ll remember how to move the mouse around in minutes. As for styles, you can pick a style now. Or try ten styles. You can look around at the options and choose what you think you like.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have any money. I had three dollars in my pocket. In fact, it’s still in there. That’s it. I had hoped to get a job today in that town. If I hadn’t run out of gas before I got there, I might be serving burgers in the diner tonight.”
“Well, you’re going to sleep in a warm bed in a clean nightgown instead. And I don’t want you to worry about money. I can afford some clothes for you, Little one. I promise.”
“Why are you doing this?” Her eyes are watery.
I squat down in front of her because I think putting myself lower than her will help her feel more in control. I take her hands in mine. “Eloise, there are a number of reasons. First of all, no matter who you were, I would have offered to help. It’s in my nature. It’s what I do for a living. I help people. Everyone who works for Black Blade Protection is in the business of helping people.”
She bites her bottom lip.
“And, like I said earlier, I really like you. I’m drawn to you. I want to protect you with a fierceness I’ve never felt before.”
“I’m…nobody.”
My nostrils flare when I suck in a breath. “You are not nobody, Eloise. You’re a beautiful human spirit. You’ve been dealt a bad hand, and I’m sorry for that. But while you were napping in the car, I threw that deck of cards out the window. They flew all over the highway and got run over by thousands of cars and trucks. They’re gone. We’re going to open a fresh deck right now. Let’s shuffle them and try a new hand. What do you say?”
She stares at me and slowly smiles. “I say you’re really weird.”
I laugh. “I’ve been called worse.” I stand and take her hand to lead her to the kitchen. “Now, how about if I feed you, and then we can watch a movie before bed, yeah?”
She stops walking, causing me to halt when our arms extend. “A movie…” She glances toward the giant television screen. “What movie?”
“Any movie you want. Are there any recent titles you’ve been interested in?” I kind of hate those words as soon as they leave my mouth, but then I decide her answer will be very telling, if not painful.
When I pull on her arm gently so she comes closer to me, she turns back to face me. “I haven’t seen a movie since I was a kid. Sometimes I lived with a family who watched movies, but I didn’t usually like to socialize, so I mostly stayed in my room.”
“How many foster families did you live with, Little one?”
She taps her lips with her free hand. “I’m not sure. I think maybe twelve.”
My eyes bug out. “In how many years?”
“Eighteen.”
Jesus. “You went into the foster system as a baby?”
“Yes.” Her lips remain parted as though she’s considering whether she’s going to elaborate or not. “My mother left me in a rest area bathroom.”
I try not to react as strongly as I’m feeling inside, but it’s hard. “How old were you then?”
“An hour old. She gave birth to me in the bathroom and left. Someone found me an hour later. Or so they suspected.”
